After Death
by Dark Sadistic Angel
Summary: 1x2, 5x2 - Duo ends up with Wufei after Heero dies- what happens if he meets Heero again? Not a death fict- sort of . A supernatural tale of hell and miracles.


Old story upload. Both 1x2 and 5x2. Death but happy (sort-of) ending. Angst. Disclaimers apply.

After Death

By Dark Sadistic Angel

When Heero died, Duo walked off the edge.

Nothing, he thought, could bring him back from the darkness. Heero was gone, and all he wanted was to follow him. He nearly did. But before that could happen- the impossible did. In the pitch black depths of grief, Wufei brought the light of life to him.

At first, it was too blinding, and all Duo wanted to do was shield his eyes from it.

But Wufei determinately made him see.

And gradually, his eyes adjusted. And he saw Wufei.

A light, quick touch on his shoulder alerted to the presence of his lover behind him. Duo turned to look at the Asian man behind him. Taller than the time they had fought the walls, Wufei now reached a little past six feet in height, and was on level with the height of Duo. To the other's ire, Duo had two centimetres on Wufei, and teased Wufei often about it. Which often provoked Wufei to get his own back in the bedroom by pounding Duo into the mattress to prove his manhood to him. The fact Duo provoked Wufei deliberately for the activity was something he never let on. The man was an uptight and prudent man. Unless he was roused past his legendary control, Wufei never acted much on his emotions. He wasn't much for contact, generally. Sometimes, Duo didn't mind the lack of skin ship. Being a fighter from the past brutal wars, he had a hair trigger so fine that he still could not sleep continuously straight at nights as his senses stayed too keenly attuned. But at times... at times like this, he needed contact.

He reached out and hugged Wufei.

'Hold me,' he whispered.

Wufei awkwardly held him.

'Do you need me to go with you?'

'You know I always go alone, 'Fei. Couldn't visit his grave, with you and me as we are, you know.'

Wufei's hold on Duo tightened.

'But you're with me now.'

'Wufei, there's no need to be jealous,' Duo chuckled hoarsely against Wufei's chest. 'Heero's dead... been dead for almost five years... But I guess, in memory of what we were and all, I just don't think... It'd be a good thing.'

Wufei pulled away from Duo and frowned down at Duo.

'Even so, I would like to pay my respects to him too. He was my friend too.'

Duo bit his bottom lip, and attempted to break eye contact with Wufei's stern stare.

'Duo...'

And then he saw the pain in Wufei's eyes and his heart clenched. Wufei was uncertain of their relationship. Despite Wufei's usual dead pan mask, Duo could easily read the hesitant fear and jealousy in Wufei's dark eyes. It was a familiar look, although Duo didn't often see it, he had caught it on occasions which frequency always increased around the anniversary date. Guilt rose in him at the look. He knew he was causing Wufei deep pain with his insistence on visiting the mountainside where Heero... was.

Duo could see Wufei was afraid that the dead had a stronger hold on his heart that he did.

'Look at me.'

The proud warrior was begging him. To anyone else's ears, the words would have sounded more like the barking of an order, than a plea, but Duo could pick up the tell tale catch in Wufei's voice that gave his weakness away. It was the same words that the brought him out of his long, dark self-isolation. It did not fail again to capture him again.

'I am,' he said simply.

In a rare move, Wufei reached out and clasped Duo's cheek tenderly. Ebony black eyes searched his.

'Are you? Really?'

'Yes.'

'Prove it.' Again, Wufei's words sounded harsh- but the same catch under minded his command.

And then, Duo realised what he had to do.

He had to let go of Heero.

'Okay...' he moved into Wufei's touch and hugged the other man. '...Let's go up together.'

The view was stunning. Around the mountain where they hiked on, an endless parameter view of forests and smaller mountains could be seen around the small village they had left. The brown roof of the hotel they had stayed in blended in well with the surroundings, as well as the rustic look of the village houses and barn houses. All in all, it looked like a genuine, tourist place- it was one now, but only just years before, the village below had been an outpost for a rebel faction which had plotted to destroy the peace that now settled between in the world. The place they were headed to, was the remains of the head base that rested on and partially buried into the steep mountain. It was sealed off by the Preventers organisation, and monitored remotely for security reasons, but Duo and Wufei had gained permission from the head of the Preventers, Une herself, to visit the area.

Zone Zero, was what the area was called. It was named from the system the war fanatics had attempted to rebuild and fit into an invincible, giant mobile battle suit which was to be the prototype for mass production. The material the new suit was made out of was stronger than any other metal but Gundanium- it had been the best that could be replicated in gravity. They had also created a blaster striking system that could be directed at any point on Earth, and planned to incorporate the system with the Zero system. The plan the faction had been a mixture of stunning technology based on too many flaw points. In firm belief of their strength they had targeted the World President's young niece and kidnapped her to attempt to blackmail the aged politician. The Preventers would not allow it. In the attack on their base, one of the scientists attempted to wipe out the Preventers team by logging into distant blaster booster and directing the blaster to obviate the incoming teams. Instead, the blaster had locked onto the base instead and became a countdown to meltdown the base.

Heero took a risk.

He had swung into the prototype, and directed the mobile suit upwards, outside of the base, and dove straight into the misguided laser with the shield. The gamble had half paid off. The shield had deflected the blaster back into space, and knocked the booster out of commission. However, the end beam down, before the generator could cut itself off, had been an extremely intense and short flare, which enveloped the mobile in flames. The mobile suit had come falling down.

Duo stopped on the path he hiked. Behind him, he heard Wufei hiss as the other man stopped too.

Wufei had not been on the mountain before, and had not been on the ground mission to save the President's niece. It had been Duo and Heero's mission to lead the attack on the base. Carefully demolished by Preventer staff after the event, there was barely anything that remained of the rebel base that once was. The only thing remained was the bowed, figure of the mobile suit that Heero had rode. It had fallen from the skies, and tumbled around the terrain after smashing into the side. Tossed by physics, it was a fluke it ended up in the general kneeling position which mobile pilots set their suits in to before opening the hatch and dismounting from it. The heavy, masked head of the armoured mobile suit hinged awkwardly downwards, looking beyond the cliff it just barely skimmed the edges to. One of the giant hands, human like its construction, but with fingers more than twice the thickness of a man's torso, rested on its raised knee, and the other laid palm up towards the skies. The back of it was stiff as it leaned forward- covering the big gaping hole in its abdomen, where there was naught much more than seared, twisted metals melted in an ugly wound. No pilot had dismounted from the mobile suit. He had disappeared in the burning air within the fatal sky.

Not even a trace remained of Heero there in his metal grave.

As it always was, the burnt out bones of the mobile suit made Duo's knees weak. He stumbled back. Strong arms caught him.

'Thanks, 'Fei,' Duo said hoarsely. 'But its okay. I can stand on my own.'

'You don't have to stand on your own. I'm here with you.'

'Like I said, it's okay, 'Fei.' Duo looked up at Wufei with a faint, wobbly smile. 'You can let me go.'

Relunctantly, Wufei did.

Duo approached the kneeling mobile suit. Compared to the previous years, the greenery creeping around the giant statue's presence was thicker- more menacing. But the still loneliness in the dark, pitch black depths of the empty mobile suit remained the same. As the vines had grown firmly around the legs of the suit, Duo found it easy to climb up the mobile suit towards the gapping black hole. Still, it was hard to navigate up the scratched metal surface. He felt like he was suffocating as he climbed up. His throat hurt as he came closer, as if he was crying, but no tears filled his eyes. He knew that would come later. When he was before the empty hole.

Like now.

He extended out a shaky hand towards the empty hole. He knew, that down below on the ground, Wufei was looking up with him in concern. That was the reason why he kept his back deliberately towards Wufei. There was some emotions... he couldn't show Wufei the full depth of. And he knew it was all written on his face as he faced the black metal crevice.

Duo drew in a deep breath.

'Heero...' he spoke softly.

Something like a husky sigh came back at him from the crevice. The echo of his own voice.

'It's me. Duo.'

He touched the smooth melted edges of the mobile suit. Duo ducked underneath the shell, and into the hole within. As the opening was low, there was barely any light. Fumbling, he made his way deeper into the darkness. With outstretched hands, he searched for the lump of metal he knew to be the remains of the seat Heero has strapped himself in. It was further inside the suit, so the area was in the pitch black section.

As he touched a standing structure around his chest height, he knew that he had found the chair. He slid his hands down the smooth surface, and then let his hands drop. There was no one there. Just emptiness.

'I came... to say goodbye, Heero.'

Hot tears stung his eyes.

'I can't go to you, and you can't come to me. So... we've got to say... goodbye.'

He felt so cold. Damn, he was shivering so hard that his teeth was chattering, but he couldn't stop. The only warmth was his tears, and they burned like fire down his cheeks. It was so dark here. So... damn lonely. Without Heero.

'I'm sorry, Heero.'

He reached out with his hands towards the vacant seat again.

'But if you can't be with me, we've no choice... but... goodbye.'

Hands weaved themselves though his. Before Duo's eyes could widen with utter shock, he was pulled against a warm, muscular body.

'Duo... no.'

Duo froze. He recognised the voice. Yet. It was impossible.

'Don't... say goodbye.... please,' whispered the low, husky voice. 'You're the only one.... I have.'

'Heero!?'

Light flared. Briefly blinded, Duo had to blink a few times, before his vision came back. The blackness around was now dimly lit by an eerie blue light- as if there was a visual light display emitting from several non-existing computers screens around him. The ugliness of the burnt out shell he was in became more apparent by the blue light, but Duo paid his surroundings no mind. His attention was all on the person whose lap on which he half sat, half leant against.

Heero.

There was something a bit different about Heero- he seemed a little older than the past, his eyes looked haunted, but Heero was clearly still more younger than Duo's current age- he was still a teenager. The Preventer clothing he wore was the same as the ones he had worn on that fateful mission- but they hung somewhat differently- a bit more smaller somehow. But it may have been due to the fact that barely much of the material remained on his body. They were ripped and blood stained. Fresh blood oozed down again Heero's arms as he brought Duo closer into an embrace.

'....Heero... is it... really....?'

He was entranced as Heero brought his face forward. Unable to move, as if all objectionable will had left him, Duo allowed Heero to kiss him, his lips parting in a sigh as their lips touched, and he tasted the familiar sweetness of Heero's gentle kiss.

'It's me, Duo. I'm sorry that... it took me so long to come back,' Heero murmured against his ear. 'Please... don't be upset and leave me. Promise me... otherwise, I can't make it....'

'Duo, get away from him!'

Wufei's voice broke through Duo's half trace like state. The sharp fear in his voice was like nothing Duo had ever heard in the other man's voice. Wufei, when fighting, always had a strong voice that carried clearly. His voice now was close to breaking in fear, and was pitched at a higher volume Duo had ever heard Wufei spoke. He found himself pulled back- snatched out of the embrace of Heero. The blood from Heero's clothing left stains on his own as they parted.

'Wufei?' Duo blinked.

'Chang?' Heero straightened in the burnt out chair and stared incredulously at the full blood Asian man. He then winched, as if some pain racked him. Blood stains reddened the left side of his arm, and began to drip down in rivets.

'Why are you...' Heero's voice trailed off as he looked from Duo to Wufei, and then focused on the protective way Wufei held Duo away from him.

'Stay away from him... Yuy.' Wufei said softly.

'Chang... you bastard. He's-'

'He's not yours!' Wufei thundered.

'No- he's not yours!' growled Heero back. The youth lowered his torso as if he was about to jump at Wufei.

Then suddenly, Heero hissed. Heero grabbed his shoulder as visible pain filled his face and he bent downwards.

'...nngh...' came a muffled cry from Heero.

Duo gasp as he saw the back of Heero. Two large jagged wounds were bleeding heavily in the dips of his shoulder blades- as if something like wings had been torn from his back. On closer inspection, it seemed like there was something like white feathers drifting down from his shoulders, but like wispy ghosts, the faint spark of white light disappeared immediately on contact with the blood around.

'Heero!'

Without thinking, Duo made to move to him.

'No- Duo! Don't! Beware!' Wufei held Duo back. 'Heero is dead!'

Heero looked up, pain still etched on his expression but his eyes settled on Duo with unwavering clarity.

'Am I dead to you?' he asked.

'....'

'Am I?' Desperation and fear seemed to fill his Prussian eyes.

Duo looked helplessly at Heero, not knowing what to say. Reality, grief, hope, and fear clashed in his mind. He wanted... No, Wufei was right but... Heero was there! Heero was there in front of him! Heero was- it couldn't be, but-

'You're dead,' came a croak.

Duo, belatedly, realised it was his own voice.

With that, Heero's expression changed.

'Duo... you... I thought...' Heero's voice trailed off he looked to Wufei and back to Duo again. An empty despair filled his face as he took in their white faces and the closeness between them. His face stiffened and fell in a blank mask. 'You lied,' he said quietly. 'But I forgive you.'

Suddenly, from out the metal seat, came a fiery hand. It grabbed at Heero's back. Clawing a handhold into Heero's shoulder, it heaved Heero's back against the chair. Heero bit down on his cry as he slammed against the melted pilot's chair.

'Heero!' Duo shouted in alarm.

More and more fiery hands appeared from the metal- translucent in their reddish glow, yet tipped with black claws that tore into Heero's flesh.

'Argh!'

'No- Heero!'

'Duo! Don't-'

'Let me go! I need get to- Heero!' Duo broke free of Wufei's hold. 'Heero, don't go!'

He grabbed onto Heero. Burning heat seared him as the hands reached out and clawed into his arms in an effort to force him to let Heero go. Duo gritted his teeth and determinately held on. He didn't know what was reality, but he knew one thing.

He couldn't let Heero go.

Heero looked up at Duo in stunned surprise.

'Duo?'

'Heero- I'm sorry- I'm sorry, okay? Stay with me- please,' he begged. 'I don't care if you're dead, some freaking zombie, or whatever, I love-'

'Duo!' shouted Wufei. 'Don't do it! Let Heero go!'

There was that catch to his voice. That sound that Duo had grown very familiar with. It was the sound a man's voice makes when there was a lump in his thought- exactly the same sound his own voice made as he replied back to Wufei.

'I can't, 'Fei. I can't let Heero go- even if I had to fight the devil himself.'

A sudden screaming of a high pitched voice filled the room- as if a woman or a child was being murdered. On and on, it seemed to go on for eternity- piercing the eardrums of all around. Then everything went dark. The flaming, painful hands had disappeared, only leaving a warm but sticky body in Duo's arms.

'Duo? Are you okay?' came Wufei's panicked voice.

'Go!' Duo shouted back. 'Get out! I'll bring Heero!'

'Duo... Heero's dead- he's been dead for years!'

'I don't care! Even if this is his corpse I'm bringing out, I need him! I'm sorry, 'Fei- I love you, but- he's... my soul.'

Rapid fire Chinese came from the Asian man.

'The exit's below. I'll be there- I'll be there just right behind you and-'

The body in his arms stirred then embraced him.

'Duo...' came Heero's husky voice. It was filled with pain. 'I don't think I can make it...'

'Hold on, Heero! Fuck you- hold on! Stay with me.'  
'I can't... I... just might be dead...'

'Well, I'm Shinigami- I decide that, okay?'

A low chuckle filled his ear as Duo lifted Heero and stumbled towards the light he saw. A partial silhouette of Wufei was outlined by the light.

'That's what I told the other one...'

Duo ducked and pulled Heero through.

As daylight hit the chocolate brown hair of the person in his arms, blue Prussian eyes sparkled at Duo through the blood that dripped down from his head.

'... and he said, "prove it."'

Then Heero slumped against Duo, unconscious. Unable to believe it, he held the warm body of Heero to his chest.

'Duo.'

'Wufei... I can't believe this....'

'Neither can I,' came Wufei's dry voice.

But the tone ringed false. Duo looked up and met Wufei's eyes. Beyond the still incredulous look and shock in his eyes, sadness and pain were welling up in the ebony depths of his former lover.

'I'm sorry,' he blurted out.

A half-smile touched Wufei's lips.

'Don't be sorry for a miracle, Duo. Be thankful.' He cleared his throat. 'Let's go. I'll help you.'

Duo nodded.

The two took the unconscious youth between them, and made their way down the mountain. They didn't say goodbye to the place. But they didn't look back.

Fin.


End file.
